I am not asking about the differences between sng and cash games.
But suppose that you want to make a regular income from playing online poker. Should you play let's say 3 - 4 cash game tables or 2 - 3 equivalent SNG tournaments.

In short which one is better to make money SNG or cash games ? IMO SNG is more random but what are your thoughts.

3 Answers
3

You are comparing apples and bannanas... those two are two different worlds... In one you can rebuy and play as long as you want on always the same blinds on the other there is a ever shrinking number of players and rising blinds...

play both for some time let's say 100 hours and see what gives you more profit... then stick to it... this is just a guidline... see where you feel more comfortable... this is the game that will give you more money in the long run

Ok, so there is no such thing as "only play cash games if you want to make cash, and sng is just for fun". Thank you. Personnally i am more comfortable with sng but just wondering if i was not wasting my time
–
KemodaMar 14 '12 at 12:17

Yes...there is no silverbullet... you can look for example at Phil Helmuth... this guy is one of the best tournament players alive but has mediocer success in cash games... so if you like sng more then cash games then just keep playing them... there are a lot of people making a living only by playing sng
–
Ivan Crojach KaračićMar 14 '12 at 19:36

Ok, im accepting this answer. amigal made good point about rake
–
KemodaMar 15 '12 at 9:44

In my opinion for a steady income I find sng much better. I can multi-table a lot better so will play a bit lower stakes in more games which gives me a more steady income. This is however just a personal opinion.

Lets talk a little Math: lets say you are a good player. You're in the money, lets say... 65% of your SNG games. When you take the 10% rake into consideration, you ends up with minor winnings.

We all know those good days and bad days periods (there is a sentence in Arabic: "yom asal, yom basal" - one day honey, one day onion). Basically those rake will take you back to the 50%-55% zone.

Most online poker sites limits their rake in cash games to around 3$ per hand. If you'll play high blinds table (5$ 10$ blinds and above) it will make the rake insignificant. (and don't forget that rake in cash games is 5% and SNG rake is usually 10%).

For me, I have problem with cash games - I never leave the table when I should. Even if I set rules for myself, I always break them... but that's me. You should check what's your favorite game type and stick to it.

I think you're simplifying it way too much to look at the two this way. You are not going to have the same winrate at SNG vs cash games, and ultimately that will make your decision. Also, SNGs are far easier to multi-table without effecting your level of play, meaning that while individual return may be lower, the overall winnings spread across all tables may be more. The bankroll requirements are so different that this effect is furthered. There are too many considerations to make this a cut-and-dry evaluation. As Ivan said, try both and see which you do better at (or enjoy most).
–
Jeffrey BlakeMar 15 '12 at 17:09